Tracy Mroz, PhD, OTR/L

• Current Projects - (3)
• Completed Projects - (6)
• Publications - (8)

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Current Projects - (3)

• Availability, Care Practices, and Quality of Hospice Providers Serving Rural versus Urban Communities
  This project will examine differences in availability of hospice care in rural versus urban communities as well as provider-level quality and care practices by rural-urban status of hospices. Findings will highlight potential rural-urban disparities in hospice care that can be used to inform future Medicare policy.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health services, Healthcare access, Hospice and palliative care, Medicare, Quality
  
• Comparing Utilization and Quality of Home Health Care Between Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status
  This project examines differences in home health use and quality by enrollment in Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) versus Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Findings will include information on rural-urban and intra-rural variation in home health care to inform policies on access, payment, and quality for Medicare FFS and MA plans.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Home health, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Post-acute care, Quality
  
• Identifying Characteristics Associated With Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries Bypassing Local Skilled Nursing Facilities for Post-Acute Care
  This project will compare how often rural versus urban beneficiaries receive post-acute care from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) outside of their local communities, and which patient, provider, and community characteristics are associated with bypass of local SNFs, informing policies to support SNFs in rural communities.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Healthcare access, Long-term care, Medicare, Post-acute care
  

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Completed Projects - (6)

• Assessing Potential Unmet Need for Home Healthcare in Rural Areas
  This study estimated potential unmet need for home healthcare in rural areas for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. We compared rates of home healthcare utilization in rural areas with urban areas, accounting for acute hospital discharges and utilization of inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing facilities.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Home health, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Post-acute care
  
• Diverging Populations Served by the Medicare Home Health Benefit: Comparison of Post-acute vs. Community-entry Home Health in Rural Areas
  This study examined differences between rural, fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted to home health from the community (community-entry) and those who were admitted to home health following an inpatient stay (post-acute) in terms of their clinical and non-clinical characteristics as well as the communities in which they live.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Home health, Medicare, Post-acute care
  
• Examining the Potential Impact of Multiple Payment Policies on Rural Versus Urban Home Health Agencies
  This study estimated the impact of three recent and upcoming Medicare home health payment policies (revised rural add-on payments, new prospective payment system, and value-based purchasing demonstration) on reimbursement for home health agencies based on rural-urban status, community factors, and home health agency characteristics.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Home health, Medicare, Post-acute care
  
• Post-acute Care Quality for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
  This study examined rural post-acute care quality for rural Medicare beneficiaries and potential disparities in post-acute care between urban and rural providers. Publicly reported quality measures for rural skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies were compared with state and national averages as well as urban providers.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Home health, Post-acute care
  
• Post-acute Care Trajectories for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
  Utilization and costs of post-acute care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries have grown rapidly during the last decade. This study examined post-acute care utilization for rural Medicare beneficiaries following acute hospitalization, describing use of home health and skilled nursing care and trajectories of care across settings.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health services, Home health, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Post-acute care
  
• Use of Home Health Services Among High Risk Rural Medicare Patients: Patient, Service, and Community Factors Associated with Hospital Readmission
  This study will examine the 60-day post-acute care outcomes of rural Medicare patients who were discharged from hospitals and admitted to home healthcare services. Key predictors include home health services provided, type of Medicare home health reimbursement, and available community healthcare resources.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Home health, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Post-acute care
  

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Publications - (8)